New territory for comedian born in Pakistan: himself

July 06, 2007|By Glenn Jeffers, Tribune staff reporter

For Kumail Nanjiani, standing onstage and riffing on online gamers is easy. Yet the Chicago comedian's voice trembles when he talks about "Unpronounceable," his new one-man show at the Lakeshore Theater.

"It's real hard core," he says of his anxiety.

The show, which premieres this Friday, marks a big change for Nanjiani. For starters, it tops off between 75 and 90 minutes; the longest he's been on stage is a half hour. The show is also one of Nanjiani's most personal projects. Gone are surreal observances on topics such as He-Man and the word "octopi."

Instead, Nanjiani, 29, examines growing up a devout Shiite Muslim in Pakistan, then moving to Iowa at age 18.

"The first time I shook hands with a woman I was 18, 19 years old," Nanjiani says.

His old act avoided Middle Eastern caricatures and jokes about the War on Terror. Performing since 2001, Nanjiani made an effort to exclude ethnic humor -- he didn't want to be an "Arab comic," he says.

But after a few sets at Lakeshore Theater and a talk with artistic director Chris Ritter, Nanjiani was asked to put together a one-man show in April. Ritter brought in a friend to direct: veteran comic and "The Aristocrats" director Paul Provenza. "Chris has a really good eye [for talent]," Provenza says. "I was really taken with the gifts Kumail has. He's really talented beyond his own awareness."

The pair worked for two months, fleshing out Nanjiani's ideas, making the show more personal and truthful. That wasn't always easy, Nanjiani admits. He knew what he wanted to talk about -- but now he had to actually talk about it.

That includes his parents, who are major characters in the show. Nanjiani's mother and psychiatrist father are both Shiite. According to Nanjiani, the couple believe their son has lost his religion.

"It's all personal stuff, so I fell back on making it funny," he says. "But [Provenza] gave me the confidence to explore a little more."